Cabinet for disk records.



P.,J. ROBINSON. CABINET FOR DISK RECORDS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.12,1912.

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P. J. ROBINSON. CABINET FOR DISK RECORDS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.12,1912.

1 ,082,361 Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

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Swuzntoz attorneys P. J. ROBINSON.

" CABINET FOR DISK RECORDS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.12, 1912.

1,082,861... 1 Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

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PHILIP J. ROBINSON, 0F LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CABINET FOR DISK RECORDS.

Specification of Application filed August 12. 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, PHILIP J. RomNsoN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Leominster, in the county ofVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful improvements in Cabinets forDisk Records; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to furniture, and n'iore especially to cabinets;and the object of the same is to produce an improved rotary cabinetholding phonographie disk rec-. ords on edge and in narrow compartmentswhere they will be protected from dust and handling but from which anydesired record may be ejected instantly.

The invention consists principally in the means for latchingor lockingeach record in its compartment, and in special pro-vision which is madefor adapting the cabinet to records of different sizes.

Details will. appear in the following speci fication and claims, and areshown in the drawings, wherein- Figure 1. is a front elevation of thisimproved cabinet showing some of its upright partitions, a few of thedisk records in place, and one of the retainers tilted down ward. Fig. 2is an enlarged cross section through a. portion of said cabinet, showingone of the compartments therein and illustrating in dotted lines how theretainer holds the disk in place whether at the rear or at the front ofthe compartment. Fig. 5) is a bottom plan view and Fig. 4 a sideelevation of the male member of the pivot hereinafter described; andFig. 5 is a top plan View, and Fig 6 a side elevation of the femalemember 1 of this pivot. Fig. 7 is a side elevation, partly broken away.of the filler hereinafter referred to; and Fig. 8 is a cross sectionthereof. Fig. 0 is a bottom plan view of a 5 simple 'form of thecabinet, showing the l pivot as attached to. its base. Fig. 10 is avertical section through another form of i pivot employed on extra largecabinets.

The cabinet comprises a base or pedestal. and a body or casing, both ofthe desired size and ornamentation forming no part of the presentinvention excepting that ordi l Let r n ltatentcd Dec. 23,1913.

Serial No. 714,713

narily this device is kept in the parlor or on exhibition in the store.and I would prefer that it be tasteful and that it be of proper materialto withstand the use to which it is to be put.- As to its size if it isnot the intention that a large number of disk records are to be storedtherein the body or casing may be small and will doubtless be mountedfixedly upon the base or pedestal by means which need not beillustrated; but where many disks are to be stored in the cabinet itwill necessarily be large, and in that case I would mount it rotatablyupon the base or pedestal in a manner to be described below. lff thecabinet be small the compartments in which the disks are stored willopen only at its front. if it be larger the compartments may be disposedback to back so as to open on two sides of the casing and the latterwill be suitably supported upon the base, andif the cabinet be quitelarge its compartments may open on all four sides and in which event thepivot and latch will be modified accordingly as will yet be explained.whatever the size of the cabinet, the COI] struction of each individualcompartment and the means for locking the disk therein and releasing itwhen desired will be the same. and tl'lereforo a description of one willsuiiicc for all. i

. Referring now .more particularly to Figs. ly and 2, each comparln'ientcomprises a floor 1, which will doubtless be a board forming the bottomof the casing), and a track which in the present instance is shown as agroove 1 2 cut in the pper fa e of said llo r and depressed into a rest23 near the front edge thereof so that the groove inclines toward theopen front of the cabinet or the entire floor inclines as ilh slralcd;an ugu'ight iixrd back 1- which will be the rear wall of a sin "olecabinet or the intermediate wall of a doubledaccd cabinet; and a. topwhich is a specially 5tm=-zlrncled member and will be described indetail below. This top is located such distance above the floor as toaccommodate twelve inch disk records, but when it is desired to storesmaller records in the cabinet, as for instance thosemeasuring ten inhes in diameter. a filler best seen in Fig. 7 is employed. This consistsof a narrow board 5 having a tongue (3 along its lower edge shaped tofit into the groove? But I upper edge with a groove 7 and depression orrest 8 similar to those in the upper face 0 1 H or tne floor 1 exceptingthat the groove 1 will be longer than the groove 2 and the rest 8 willbe struck on a circle of smaller radius as will be clearly understood.If this tiller be two inches high, when put into place in anycompartment the latter will accommo-v date a ten inch record and theradius of the curve on which the rest 8 is struck will be such as tocorrespond with a record of that size; and it is obvious that a smalleror larger tiller can be inserted in any compartment so as to cause thesame to accommodate. records of various sizes. It is quite -within thespirit of m invention that the filler shall be a board extendingcompletely across the interior of the casing and resting upon the floor1, with grooves 7 and 8 cut transversely across its upper face and inproper position to overlie those in the fixed floor 1; and if a fillerof this character be employed, the entire casing may at once altered sothat 'it will accommodate nothing but smaller records and all of them ofone size. However, as a filler of this kind would in effect be nothingbut a series of fillers as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 secured side to side,I have considered it hardly necessary to illustrate the amplified idea.T he top of each compartment, below the true top of the easing, isoccupied by a retainer best seen in Figs. 1 and 2. This member is abloclr 16 having in its lower edge a longitudinal groove 12 extendingfrom near the rear end to a point 11 a little forward of the center ofthe length of the blocl: where the groove makes an angle with the deeperportion or cut-out 13 which is continued in line with the groove to andthrough the front end of the block. The whole is mounted on a pivot 14,which may be a cross rod extending throughout the casing and on whichall of the blocks may be pivoted side by side. Bis-- ing from the upperedge of each block above its pivot is an eye 15 with which is looselylinked the inner end of a rod 16 that passes through the front wall 17of the casing and carries a knob 18 on its forward extremity, a spring19 being interposed between said wall and knob so that the latter ispressed normally forward and the block normally canted downward at itsforward end as seen in Fig. 2. When the retainer stands in this positionthe disk record 1) will be held housed within the casing, its lower edgeresting in the groove 2, its rear edge standing nearly or quite incontact with the back 4, and its upper edge standing within the groove12 to the rear of the angle 11. hen now it is desired to withdraw arecord, the record is selected by reading a suitable numberor.character' inscribed on the head of the. knob 18, and the operatorpresses that knob; the result is that he. compresses the spring 19,pushes the rod 16 to the rear, and rocks the block 10 on its pivot 14 sothat the angle 11 rises and the disk D is freed and permitted to rolldown the groove 2 until it comes to rest within the depressed portion 3thereof as seen,'and its front edge projects beyond the cabinet so thatit may be grasped by hand. Thus it will be seen that a disk. isdelivered from the casing through its own gravity which causes it toroll down the inclined track as soon as the retainer is elevated, ratherthan by being ejected forcibly bymeans of mechanism so commonly employedin devices of this character. lVithout further description orillustration it will be clear that a small-sized disk mounted within anycompartment in the casing would follow the same rule and roll down thetrack on the upper edge of the tiller as soon as it is released by theretainer. l v hen the disk has come to rest within the depressed portion3, the operator is free to release his pressure upon the knob 18 so thatthe retainer drops and its cut-out 13 gently on the upper edge of thedisk to hold the latter in position ready to be grasped by the operatorand drawn out of place at his leisure. After the disk is used, it isobviously restored to itsproper compartment by pushing it into place,this action simply fills ing the retainer around its pivot 14 until thehighest point on the disk has passed the angle 11, after which thespring 10 causes said angle to descend and the disk is held by thegroove 12 at the rear portion of the re tainer like all others which arestored within this cabinet. The width of each compartment will be only atrifle greater than the thickness of the disk record, and it is quitewithin the spirit of my invention to omit the side walls which separatethe compartments, as indicated at- 20, and to store the records withinthe casing side by side and almost but not quite in contact with eachother, although in that case I would provide a door to close thenormally open front of the casing and eXclude dust. Then the partitionsare employed and the size of the entire cabinet must be kept down, theymay be of metal or perhaps of cardboard but in any event they will be asthin as possible, as they may be because there is no strain upon them. Iwould, however, make them removable in some way in order thatoccasionally the operator can withdraw the partition and sweep or dustout the interior of the casing, because. in time a certain amount ofdust is bound to accumulate therein.

A feature of my invention consists in the fact that the retainers aremounted at the ,upper portion of the interior of the casing,

which mightinterfere with their successful operation. This fact alsopermits the partitions to be removed and the interior of the casingcleaned with ease, and even washed if necessary, because the lower sideof the blocks will hardly need anything more than dusting.

Another feature of my invention might be called secondary because it isnot employedunless the cabinet is sufficiently large to necessitate it.This is the special means for mounting 'the casing upon the base orpedestal 21, which latter may rest upon a table or have feet 22 if it.stands upon the floor. ll n F ig..1 l have shown the casing as providedwith casters 23 movable over a plate secured upon the upper face of thebase 21, so that the entire casing can be rolled or turned thereon atwill and the o erator may thus gain access to any side of tie casing. in3 to 6 I have shown a special form of pivot consisting of a male membersecured beneath the casing and a female member letinto the top of thebase, so that the casing is rotatably mounted upon the base and is held,frictionally in any posi: tion to which it is turned. The male Incinbercomprises a plate having a central depending pin 81 surrounded by aplurality of sockets 32 of which two are shown in the present instance,and the plate is screwed to the bottom of the casing as at The femalemember consists of a plate having a central depending boss 41provided'with a cavity as into which the pin 31 enters'and within whichit may rotate freely; and the plate 40 is let into the faceplate or topof the base or pedestal and secured in place by screws Mounted within anupright hole 1 1 through the plate 40 and boss 41 is a spring do whichsustains a ball 46 at its 32, and this spring is pressed upward by ascrew plug 47 in the lower end of the hole 41. When the casnw is mountedon the base by means of this pivot, it can be rotated tltl easily, andthe spring-pressed ball lti will be pressed upward into the sockets 32as the male member'rotates with the casing. if the letter besufficiently large to have four of its sides devoted to compartments forthe disks D, the plate 30 will have four sockets 32 set quartering toeach other, although it will be clearly understood that there could be agreater or lesser number of sockets and that they should'correspond withthe faces of the cabinet devoted to compartments.

The construction illustrated in Fig. 10 is designed for an extra largesized cabinet whose casing when filled with records would be so heavythat it would hardly be safe to mount it on a single pivot without somemeansfor reinforcing the latter and pre venting the tiltingor tipping ofthe casing.

Therefore I provide casters 50 carried by the bottom of the casing l andtraveling on a ring-shaped track 51 mounted on the upper face of thebase 21, this track being of considerable size. In addition to thecasters .1 also provide a central pivot consisting of a male member 53having sockets 5d and a central depending pin 55; and a. female member56 having a cavity 57 for the pin, much like the construction abovedescribed. In this case I would pass a screw 58 through a washer 59 andup into the lower end of the pin 55, the washer being of suflicient sizeto underlie the boss in which the cavity 57 is bored, this detail beinguseful for absolutely preventing the tipping over of the casing off ofthe base. With so large a cabinet I would substitute for thespring-pressed ball and sockets above described, a trcadle 60 whose freeend is normally supported by a spring '61 and whose inner end is mountedpivotally as at 62 in an ear (33 depending from the female memberthrough the top of the base 21, and connected with this treadle is a pin64 sliding vertically and a tubular boss 65 depending from the femalemember and with its tip adapted to be pressed upward by the spring 61into any of the sockets 54 as the latter are moved over it. lVith thisconstruction, the operator by depressing the treadle also depresses thepin (34, and then the entire case can be rotated around its centralpivot, the pin 55 turning in the cavity 57 of the female member and thecasters 5O traveling around on the track 51-; and when the proper faceof the casing has been brought to the front, the operator will releasepressure on the treadle G0 and the spring 61 will cause its pin (3% torise so that it springs into the socket 54 in the male member which nextcomes over it. Thereafter the desired disk D is ejected by pressing theproper knob 18 as at first described above.

Thus it will be seen that I have produced a cabinet for disk recordswhich is adapted for those of various sizes up to the maximum, if weassume that said maximum is twelve inches in diameter; which is adaptedto permit the instant ejection of any record desired or its replacementafter it has been used; which may be built in sizes ac ording to theuses to which it is to be put; and which if niade large enough will bemounted on a special pivot with special springactuated latch to hold anyface of theoasing forward with ,the records in that side of the casingready for instant removal or replacement.

It will not be necessary for the purposes of this invention to amplifythe construction of details further than has been done, nor to show anddescribe the doors with which the open front or sides of the cabinet maybe provided, although such doors are not absolutely necessary. i reservethe right to he changes in details such as come within the spirit ofthis invention. 1

hat is claimed. as new is 1. A cabinet for disk records comprising acasing having a series of open front compartments whereof each has afioor inclined downward and forward and provided near its front edgewith a rest so disposed that when the record, rests therein its edgewill project out of saidopen front; combined with a retainer pivoted inthe top of each compartment and having a shoulder in its lower edge,that portion of the retainer in rear of the shoulder adapted to engage arecord when resting on the door in rear of said rest and the portionforward of the shoulder to en age a record when resting in the rest, andmeans for turning the retainer on its pivot. i e

2. In a cabinet for phonographic dislt records, the combination with acasing whereof each' record compartment has a floor inclined downwardlyand forwardly and a depression between the front end of said incline andthe front of the casing; of a retainer pivotally mounted in the top ofthe casing and having its lower edge grooved on two lines with ashoulder between said lines occurring substantially above th point hetween the inclined floor and its depression, for the purpose set forth,and means for actuating said retainer.

3.. A cabinet for phonographic dish records having a series of uprightcompartments each consisting of a floor inclined toward the open frontof the cabinet and having a rest near its front edge, a retainer at thetop of the compartment consisting of a block pivoted near its rear endand having in its lower edge a groove with a shoulder in its length, anda rod loosely connected with said block and extending through the frontof the cabinet and there having a knob.

i. A cabinet for phonographic dislt records having a series of uprightcompartmentseach provided at-its bottom with a track inclined downwardlyand forwardly and having near its front-end ao'est, an upright backat'the rear of the compartment, a retainer at the top of the compartmentconsisting of a block having in its lower edge a groove, a cut-out atits front end, and a shoulder between said groove and cut-out, and meansfor disengaging the clock from the record. i

rest so disposed that when the record therein its edge n' out of saidopen front; of a re llllQL d in the top of the casing and ha ing itslowered at its rear end and one end,

t for the nirpose set controlle l its pivot,

In a c ords, the can open frontand a floor inc ward and forward towardsaid front tainer for each record consis pivoted near its rear end in Jhaving in its lower edge 'groove with cut-out its shoulder be" vcen theg r'ng for normally and manua v g the tension t 1e retainer on piv t,

10TH}. v 4, i n a cabinet for disk records, the coinoination with acasing having an open front, and a floor therein having a ove in itsupper face inclined i and forward and provided near its frontedge with arest so disposed that when the record rests there in its edge willproject out oi said open front; of a retainer the top of at will.

-Witnesses JAMES F, MURRAY. ALLEN lIOSh-EEZ? the casin and having a depo-ng shoulder between fro i r= r e t en-a spring tending to said .nw rd,and

controlled 9 raising the

